Death, is it Truly the End?
by Theresa Shanakee
Summary: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ FIFTH BOOK. ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PERSON THAT DIES AFTER THE FIFTH BOOK. Please read and review. This is my first story, so let me know how it is.
1. A Strange Meeting

A Strange Meeting

Sirius Black was falling slowly. He had just been hit with a spell. He was on a ledge before he started to fall. Then he felt cloth fold around him. He was falling through an arch. He hit the ground and blacked-out.

When he woke-up, he was surrounded by a white light and he didn't feel any pain from the fall or anything. He stood up so he could look around, and when he turned around, he saw this huge golden gate. There was a man standing next to it as though waiting for someone. Sirius was just about to walk over to ask where he was when suddenly the man was standing in front of him.

"Sirius Black, what are you doing here now? You weren't supposed to die for a few more decades," said the man. "From the look on your face, you have no clue as to who I am. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Saint Peter, I am here to greet those who come and are welcome."

Sirius was totally shocked by what he just heard. He asked, "Did you just say you're Saint Peter? Where am I? How did I get here?"

Saint Peter answered Sirius questions in a voice which seemed as though the owner of it had done this all way to many times, but there was also a hint of interest which implied that he had never done this with someone who was here before he was supposed to be. He said, "Yes I am Saint Peter, you are standing outside the gate to Heaven, and you were killed before you were supposed to die."

"So I'm dead?"

"I am afraid so."

"Wait a minute. Is Harry all right?"

"Yes. He is fine, but I am not exactly sure what to do with you. I mean since you weren't supposed to die, I don't know if you should stay here or go back. Well, I can't send you back without at least talking to God to find out what to do, so I guess I will let you enter Heaven for now."

"Really?"

"Well I don't know where else to let you go."

On hearing this, Sirius was quite truthfully speechless. As he watched the gate, it started to open, and was he saw was so magnificent, it was indescribable. He looked over at Saint Peter, and the saint just said, "You may enter the Kingdom of Heaven."


	2. Padfoot and Prongs

Padfoot and Prongs

Sirius walked through the gate, and completely stunned by what he saw. He saw hundreds of angels and saints. He saw the spirits of many witches and wizards, from centuries past right up to weeks ago. There were also many of witches and wizards in conversation with people they would, no doubt, despised while they were alive. Muggles among them.

As Sirius was walking around, he said hi to those who gave greetings, but that was just politeness. He was really looking for one person. Someone he hadn't seen in over a decade. That someone ended up finding him.

"Hey, Padfoot, long time no see," called a very familiar voice.

Sirius turned around and saw none other than his old friend, James Potter. He said in reply, "Only too true, Prongs, only too true."

Sirius followed James to the house that James and his wife, Lily, were in. It was a pretty long walk, but Sirius didn't mind. He was just glad to see his friend once again. On the way to the house, Sirius and James talked about many things. One of which being Harry. Another being how Sirius was sent to Azkaban for twelve years. Just as the two of them were turning the last corner, James asked one question.

"Why are you here now?"

"I don't really know, when I first got here, before I came in the gate, I spoke with Saint Peter, and he asked that same question. He said that he was going to ask God what I am to do, you know, whether I will be staying here, or going back. Saint Peter told me to stay here for now, so here I am."

"Oh, that works. How's Moony doing?"

"Last time I saw him he was doing all right. But I don't know about now."

"Oh. Wait 'til Lily sees you. She'll be shocked."

"A good shocked I hope."

"It will be."

While Padfoot and Prongs were walking and talking about things that happened on earth, Saint Peter was waiting to speak to the Father himself, God. He had only been waiting a few minutes when he had been called in.

"Saint Peter, you may come in."

"Thank you, master."

"I hear you have someone here who isn't supposed to be. He was killed before he should have died."

"Yes, I need to know what should be done. He is needed on earth more than he is up here, and he wasn't even supposed to die for a few more decades at least."

"I see the problem. He is dead, so he should be here. Wait, what happened to his body?"

"It fell through the veiled archway between the earth, Heaven, and Hell." "That would mean that his body is still alive, the arch is enchanted to do that much. We would just need someone from the other side to come through and retrieve his body."

"Who were you thinking of sending?"

"Remus Lupin."

"How would he be able to get through the arch without being pulled here?"

"That is where Severus Snape would come in. There is a potion that, when brewed properly, will allow a person to pass through the arch without being separated from their body."

"Who will we send to deliver the message to them?"

"I was thinking that you would be able to do it. You would be able to get there and back before more than a few seconds pass."

"Very well. When shall I go?"

"As soon as possible."

"Very well, I will be off in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, Master."

Sirius and James arrive at the house, and they walk in. James calls a greeting to Lily, and she comes out to the hall. She sees Sirius and is nearly struck speechless. She walks over to Sirius and gives him a hug and tells him that it has simply been way too long. They leave the hall and enter the living room. Lily starts asking questions so fast that Sirius tells her that she needs to slow down because he can't understand her.

She takes a deep breath and starts over. The first question she asked was "How have you been?" Sirius told her how he was sent to Azkaban, and then how he found out that Peter was still alive. He told her how he escaped, then how he found Harry. He said that Harry was as good a Seeker as James ever was. He explained how he had caught Peter, but Peter escaped before he could be turned in. He said how he was on the run for the year after he escaped, and how Voldemort came back to life. He concluded with the Order of the Phoenix being reformed and how the guy leading the search for him was the first to accept having to work with Sirius to stop Voldemort.

When he finished, Lily was speechless once again. After a few minutes of silence she said, "It really is good to see you again. Would you like some tea?"

"If you wouldn't mind. Thank you."


	3. The House of Black

The House of Black

Remus Lupin sat at the table in the kitchen, pondering on something he never thought would happen again. Once again he was the last Marauder. He couldn't believe that after finding that two of his friends were not what they seem, Peter for faking his own death and being the rat that he is, and Sirius for being sent to Azkaban when he was really innocent. He lost Sirius and Peter on the same day, and now he had lost Sirius once again. Once again he was alone.

Harry was at the Dursleys' once again, though he would be moving back to the House of Black as soon as the two weeks were up. Hermione was on vacation in Germany. Ron was back at the Burrow, along with his brothers and sister. All of them were thinking of the friend they had lost before they even knew him, and Harry was thinking, too, of the godfather and brother that was taken from him.

As there was no meeting, no one from the Order was in the house, and that made for a very empty house. Even the old house elf, Kreacher, would could occasionally be seen, was never heard. So, Remus Lupin sat, lost in thought, in an old house, waiting for either a message from the Order, or the full moon, which ever arrived first.

A light began to appear in the kitchen. Lupin noticed a new light behind him and turned towards it. The light grew brighter and began to take the shape of a man. The form became more defined over a few seconds. Before Lupin could grasp the fact that someone had just materialized right in front of him, the man spoke. "Remus Lupin, I have come here because there is a task that, if you were to accept and complete, would bring Sirius back here to the world of the living."

Remus asked, "What do I need to do?"

"You must go beyond the Veil and retrieve his body. Severus Snape will be able to make the potion that will keep you alive when you pass through the Veil."

"How will he know what the potion is?"

"Ask him if he will make the Anna Eva Coi. If he accepts, when the potion is complete, take it and the pass through the Veil. Once you find Sirius's body, bring it back through the Veil. Pour some of the remaining potion into his mouth and he will awake."

"I shall do as you have said."

With that, Saint Peter left the House of Black and returned to the Gates.

Remus was once again alone in the house, and once again waiting for the Order to call a meeting, but the sorrow he had felt at the loss of his friend was no longer bordering on despair. A hint of hope had brightened the gloom that had hung over Remus since that day in the Ministry of Magic. Remus received the letter he had been waiting for. The Order of the Phoenix would meet on the Friday before the next full moon.

A/N: For anyone who began reading this when it was first written, I am sorry about the delay. For new readers, I hope you enjoy the story. I will try to update soon. Reviews are always appreciated.

Relaeh.


	4. The Order

The Order

The week before the meeting passed slowly as Remus awaited the day when the plan to get Sirius back would begin. However, he no longer just sat and waited for time to pass, as he had before he received that fateful message. He set to work clearing some of the rooms. Quite a few rooms had not been cleaned in the past year, so he occupied himself by taking care of those. Friday was two days away, and the full moon was the following Monday. He doubted he would have a chance to help Sirius until Wednesday at the earliest.

Ron and the rest of the Weasleys were due to arrive tomorrow to get settled in before the meeting, though they would be returning to the Burrow in a few days time. Hermione wouldn't be coming until the end of summer vacation. Harry though wasn't going to be able to leave the Dursleys' until next Friday by the time an adequate guard was set to make sure he would safely reach Number 12 Grimauld Place. Remus didn't think it was really fair to make Harry stay with his Aunt and Uncle for an extra four days, but Dumbledore thought it best that he have a transport.

Nothing could break the new mood that filled the house. Remus hadn't been this happy in over two years. Not even Kreacher's constant mumbling had any effect. Tomorrow people would be arriving, and the next day there was a meeting to look forward to.

Harry sat on his bed watching the window. He was looking for the now familiar form of Hedwig flying out of the night sky. He had received a letter from Ron on Sunday. He sent a reply and now waited for a response. As it neared midnight and Thursday began, he saw what he'd been looking for: an owl outlined against the night sky, with white feathers highlighted by the streetlights below. He jumped up and threw open the window, then stood aside to let his owl fly through.

She landed on the bed with a soft hoot, and held out her leg to have the attached letter removed. Harry obliged, and as Harry broke the seal on the envelope, Hedwig flew to her cage to sleep after the flight from the Burrow. Harry saw that the letter was from none other than Ron.

_Hey Harry,_

_I hope the Muggles haven't been too hard on you this past week. As you know, we're heading to Sirius's house tomorrow. There's gonna be a meeting on Friday. I don't know if I'll be able to be part of it, but I'll try and find out what happens. I'm thinking something big is happening. Why else would they schedule a meeting so close to a full moon? Or at least why not wait until after the full moon?_

_I hope you are doing ok. Don't be so sad about Sirius's death, and don't go blaming yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault. Don't get in too much trouble, remember, you'll be out of there in another week. I'll see you soon._

_Take care,_

_Ron_

'_So the Order of the Phoenix is going to meet in two days. So I should receive some information by Monday, if not Sunday. Four days 'til I can find out what's going on,' _Harry thought. He glanced at the clock on the table beside his bed. He was rather shocked to find that between waiting for the letter to arrive and reading the letter, and hour and a half passed. Seeing that it was 1:30 in the morning, Harry turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. The last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were of a secret meeting of the Order where they were discussing Sirius.

"Sirius."

On hearing his name, he sat up. He'd been dozing, and thinking of what things were like at home. "Hey James," he replied.

"I think I may have some good news for you," his old friend said.

"Like what?"

"I've heard that you may be going back to Earth, though I'm not sure when that will be."

"What? How?"

"I don't know, I suppose you'll find out soon enough."

"This is amazing. You know that I've enjoyed this last week with you. Is there any chance you could come back with me?"

"Possibly. I'm pretty sure it would be kind of difficult to sneak out of here, but something may come up. After all, look at all the stuff we did at Hogwarts."

"That's true. Well hopefully you'll be able to come back with me. So, do you have any ideas as to how I may be getting back?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think it may involve Moony."

"He always was the one to be able to figure out how to put our plans into action. I'm not surprised he's behind this one, though no doubt he was told what he needed to do by someone up here."

"Too true, Padfoot, only too true."

The sunrise announced the arrival of Thursday, and Remus knew he could soon expect the arrival of the Weasleys. After having breakfast, he went to check the rooms the Weasleys would be staying in for the duration of their visit. Near noon, he had just finished checking the final room, and was on his way back down the stairs when he heard the sound of voices downstairs. As he reached the first floor, he caught sight of Ron and Ginny. Greetings were exchanged, and stuff was taken up to the different floors depending on where the different bedrooms were.

With the arrival of the Weasley family, including Fred and George who saw this as a perfectly good reason to delay going into work, the House of Black once again was filled with life. Laughter was in good supply, and Remus hadn't been in such high spirits since that day in the Ministry of Magic. Now, though, there was a true reason for him to be happy. He would once again have another friend, another Marauder, with him.

A/N- Hey, sorry it took so long to post. I hope y'all like the chapter, and feel free to let me know if I've made any mistakes. Also, reviews are always appreciated. Even if it's only to say "This story is horrible. You should not write ever again." I'll never know if you don't let me know. I would also like you to note that I would really not prefer reviews like the sample one above.


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